Induction liquid-heater



APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. i920 Patented Feb. 1,1921.

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INVENTOR 0m f7. Co/b WITESSES:

A'ILI'ORNEY EMM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORA A. COLBY, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRICMANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

INDUCTION LIQUID-HEATER.

l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed April 7, 1920. Serial No. 372,018.

To all whom t may conce/rn.: Be it known that I, ORA A. COLBY, a citizenof the United States and a resident of Irwin, in the county ofWestmoreland and vState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Induction Liquid-Heaters,-of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to liquid heaters and particularly to inductionliquid heaters, and it has for one of its objects to provide a heateremploying a modified form of transformer which induces a heating currentof electricity in a suitable liquid-carrying conduit and in which theunlaminated core of the transformer comprises a tubular liquidcarryingmember which operates also as a return circuit for the current in thesecondary coil.

This application is a continuation, in part, oit' application Serial No.279,157, filed by me on February 25, 1919, and covers an improvementupon one of the devices shown therein.

More specifically, my invention embodies a primar coil, an unlaminatedmagnetic tubular liquidlcarrying core member having a closed magneticcircuit and a secondary coil comprising a liquid-carrying tubularmember'disposed about a part of said core member a-nd electricallyconnected thereto.

In the single sheet of drawings, Figure l is a view, in side elevation,ot the device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a view in sideelevation, taken at an angle oi 90 from that of Fig. l.

I have shown the device as applied to an ordinary water tank 1, such asis commonly used in homes to store hot water, and a suitable inlet pipe2 and an outlet pipe 3 are shown. While ll have shown this particularapplication, I do not wish to be restricted thereto as it is evidentthat my device maybe applied to containers of other forms in which aliquid is to be heated.

A plurality of primary coils 4 are shown which are to be understood asbeing so designed as to be adapted to the voltage and periodicity of thesupply circuit to which the coils are to be connected by means ofsuitable lead wires (not shown).

A core member 5 for the primary magnet- Yelectrically connected to izingcoils 4 com rises a substantially rectangular tubular trame built up ofstandard pieces of pipe 5a and of members 6 of L- shape Such as are usedin ordinary plumbing work. 'lwo of the L-shaped members 6, located atdiagonally opposite points of the core memben, are provided, respectivelwith projections 6a into which suitab e pieces of pipe 7 and 8 may beiirmly secured. llt'is te be understood that the core member 5 is to beso constructed that it may be assembled to perform the functionsdesired.

.A secpndary member 9 com rises a tube oi relatively small diameter' wich may be formed as a helix so as to be disposed around ene part of thecore member 5 and be subjected to the alternating magnetic flux set upin the core member 5 but to be electrically insulated therefrom.Additional tubular pieces and fittings are so arranged that theterminals of the secondary coil may be the pipe members 7 and 8, a valve10 being included at one side Vso that the amount of water flowingthrough the core member 5 may be regulated as desired. lt may be notedthat the core member 5 has a relatively large diameter and that thetubular secondary member 9 has a relatively small diameter and that,therefore, the electrical resistance of the secondary coil will berelatively high, while the electrical resistance of the core member 5will be relatively low, as Will also be its magnetic reluctance.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that the inlet andoutlet pipes 2 and 3 are respectively connected to a suitable supplybfliquid and to a suitable outlet and that the primary coil 4 isconnectedto a suitable supply circuit, the latter will set up analternatingmagnetomotive force which will cause an alternating' flux toflow through the walls of the tubular member 5 which, as shown in thedrawings, constitutes a closed magnetic circuit. The alternating iluxwill induce an alternating electromotive force of low value in thesecondary coil 9 and an alternating current will flow therein through areturn circuit which comprises the pipe members 7 and 8 and both partsof the tubular core member 5. As the secondary coil 9 is of relativelysmall cross section, it will have, as above stated, a relatively highresistance, and a relatively high energy loss will occur in thesecondary coil 9, thus heating the pipe and, consequently, raising theYtemperature of the liquid Howlng therethrough. i

As the tubular core member 5 is not laminated,.eddy curents are inducedtherein, resulting in a tendency to raise its temperature which tendencyis counteract/.sd by the liquid flowing thcrctln'ough. ,It it isdesired, the amount ot' liquid flowing through the tubular member 5 maybe reduced to a relatively small amount by means of the valve l() sothat the rise ot' temperature of th'c liquid flowing through the tubularmember 5 may be made substantially equal t0 that of the water flowingthrough the sccondary coil 9.

l tlms provide a relatively compact induction liquid heater in which thecore member acts also as a liquid carrier and tends to heat the liquidflowing therethrough, as well as acting as a return electrical circuitFor the currents induced in the secondary coil which constitutes themain heating member.

lhile l havel shown a specific embodiment of' my invention, variouschanges may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeot' my invention and l desire that only such limitations shall be placedthereon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth inthe appended claims.

l claim as my invention:

l. ln an electrical water-heating apparatus, the combination with aprimary coil, of a hollow liquid-carrying core, and a secondary memberconstituting a conduit for the water to be heated.

2. ln an electrical liquid heater, the combination with a primary coil,of a secondary member constituting a conduit for the liquid to beheated, and a hollow liquid-carrying core member :ter said primary andsecondary memloers, said core member being electrically connected tosaid secondary member.

3. ln an electrical liquid-heating appaatus, the combination with aprimary coil, oi a hollow liquid-carrying core member eX- tcndingthrough said primary coil and a secondary coil comprising a tubularfluidcarrying member disposed about said core member and electricallyconnected thereto.

4. ln an electrical liquid-heating apparatus, the combination with aprimary coil, of a hollow liquid-carrying core member having arelatively low resistance and eX- tending through said primary coil, anda secondary coil com rising a tubular fluidcarrying member o relativelyhigh electrieal resistance disposed about said core member andelectrically connected thereto.

5. ln an electrical liquid-heating apparatus, the combination with aprimary coil, of a hollow liquid-carrying core member of relatively lowresistance having a part extending through said primary coil, and asecondary coil comprising a fluid-carrying tubular member disposed aboutsaid core member and electrically connected thereto.

(i. ln an electrical fluid-heating apparat-us, the combinationv with aprimary coil, of' a hollow unlaminated liquid-carrying magnetic core anda secondary coil comprising a tubular liquid-carrying memberelectrically connected to said core.

7.111 an electrical liquid-heating apparatus, the combination with aprimary coil, of a tubular liquid-carrying seccndary coil, a hollowliquid-carrying magnetic core member for said primary and secondarycoils, said core member being electrically connected to said secondarycoil, and means for varying the relative amounts of water flowingthrough said secondary coil and said core member.

8. ln an electrical induction water-heating apparatus, the combinationwith a container tor the water. being heated, of a primary coil, ahollow water-carrying magnetic member havinga part extending throughsaid primary coil and constituting a corc l or said coil, a tubularwater-carrying member disposed around said magnetic core member andconstituting` the secondary coil, means for electrically connecting saidcore member and said secondary coil and means l'or 'varying the relativeamounts oi water flowing through said secondary coil and said coremember.

9. ln an induction liquid-heating apparatus, the combination with aprimary coil, et a. hollow liquid-carrying magnetic core member having'a closed magnetic circuit, and a tubular fluid-carrying secondary memberdisposed about a palt oi said core member and electrically connectedthereto.

l0. l'n an induction liquid-heating apparatus, the combination with aprimary coil, of a hollow liquid-carrying magnetic core member having aclosed magnetic circuit and having relatively low resistance, and asecondary coil comprising a duid-carrying tubular member of relativelyhigh resistance disposed about a part oi said core member andelectrically connected thereto.

In testimony whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th dayof March 1920.

ORA A. COLBY.

